Have you ever heard of the company called Clean meals? They serve healthy and affordable, ready-to-go meals that deliver right to your door! I ate 2 meals today- a piece of salmon with steamed veggies and quinoa, and some chicken on rice with steamed veggies. Being a person with lots of allergies who is always on the go, I fell in love with this! They are a business in Toronto that makes nutritionally balanced gourmet meals from locally sourced ingredients, so you can have a tasty meal without preparing any food, and still feel great after. Go check out their website CleanMeals.ca

Clean Meals supports their own charitable initiative called #ProjectEndHunger to feed the homeless in Toronto. If you donate money on their website, they will match the price and double the amount of food they give to end hunger. In 2017 their goal was to provide 500 meals and they ended up providing 504 in the first 6 months; Their goal for 2018 is to provide 2400 meals. Please donate today to help end hunger and try one of their meals!

Hello my loves! I just arrived in Toronto for Miss Teenage Canada which will start on Tuesday! I still can’t believe that I have this opportunity to compete, I am so honored and excited to be here. There have been so many people who have helped me get here, but one individual who has helped me out the most as my main pageant coach- Jaime Vandenberg who has just received the title of Miss Earth Canada! I totaled up the number of events I have done since I received my title at Miss Teenage Alberta in March, and it came to be 52 events! I am ready to give this competition everything I have and am excited to see what happens and meet all of the girls. No matter what, I still have this title until my year is up, so I will keep busy because what is free time? Free time doesn’t exist in my life. Make sure to watch what I post on social media this week- you can watch what I am up to in the competition, vote me for the People’s Choice Award, and watch the Final night live!

I would like to talk about something that affects every 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men in Canada today. Sexual assault is any unwanted sexual act done by one person to another including everything from touching to rape. This affects so many people in our country and kills them inside, but only 5% of survivors report to the police. Most people blame themselves after being violated because society tells us to. Now I have a question: do you think that it’s okay for somebody to force themself onto you because nobody else was around, because you left your house, you had a drink, or because you wore your favorite outfit and look beautiful? It is never the survivors fault, it is always, 100% the predators fault! People don’t usually report to the police because they might blame themself, they might be afraid of the predator, or they might not want to talk about it because it hurts to think about it. If you are a survivor, I really encourage you to speak up, tell the police, and talk to somebody about what you went through.

You are not alone, in fact this is a huge problem that happens constantly and needs a change! I study the music industry and have been told by multiple individuals that in the case of being a girl in the music industry- it is not a matter of “if” but when somebody will try to take advantage of you. Everyone should know a bit of self-defense in case of an emergency; If you don’t know any self-defense, please enroll yourself in a class immediately, or learn some moves on (god bless) YouTube. You should never be afraid of stopping somebody if you are ever uncomfortable! If we speak up, report the incidents, and spread the word, we will create bigger consequences for the predators and save others from having to go through it.

ME TOO! I am a survivor; it is not the only bad thing I’ve lived through, there will be plenty more that life will throw at me, but I am still living, I am happy, and I have a great future ahead of me! This does not define who we are, or will we let it hold us back in life. Life can suck sometimes, and everybody has their own things that they deal with, but that is when we learn who we are and grow through what we go through. Our scars are what make us who we are- they are what make us beautiful.

Hello my lovelies! I have had a very full past few weeks with the end of the school year, moving, extra shifts at work, and some very fun events with my title! So far I have attended 16 events with my title since March, so I am going to tell you about a couple of my recent ones, as well as the Canadian Beauties pageant workshop.

On June 23 I attended the Canadian Beauties pageant workshop, sponsored by Bells and Bows Bridal Shop where I learned a lot of great tips to help me at Miss Teenage Canada this summer! I got to see a few girls from Miss Teen/ World Alberta again and pageant girls from all over Alberta and BC. We spent the whole day hearing from different speakers, strutting around in our heels, and just having a great time- after we finished, we got a bag full of great goodies, and a bunch of us went to pick up dresses from Bells and Bows, then out for dinner at Moxies.

The next day we all went to the Canadian JumpStart car show at Canadian Tire to raise money for the great organization JumpStart and we saw some great cars! I love everything about JumpStart because it helps families with low incomes that can’t afford activities (like sports and music) for their kids; Those activities are very expensive, but they’re very important for a kids mental health, physical health, and the discovery of who they are. Through the day we handed out ballads to vote for their favorite car, handed out awards, took lots of photos with everyone, helped take down everything when it was over, and made people smile.

My favorite part of that event was getting to beat up a car with a hammer as Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood was playing in my head. You could pay a dollar-a hit to smash this car and you would be helping a great cause by smashing it because the money goes to JumpStart!

After the car show we went around Lethbridge to show Angela- Miss Northern BC World our beautiful city before she leaves. We took her to Henderson Park, our famous train bridge, the Galt Museum, Galt Gardens, The Helen Nature Centre, and More to introduce her to Lethbridge.

That week was Pride Fest In Lethbridge so I went to City Hall to watch as we raise the pride flag in support of the LGBTQ community. I love how everyone had a smile on their face even though it was a little rainy, and everyone was super colorful! As I could not make it to the big Pride event due to another event, I am so glad I made it to one because we need more supporters of equality in our world. Of course, I had to get a photo with the most colorful person I saw there so…

Canada Day 151 was this week and I spent all day at Henderson Park where I must have seen half of the city there!

This event reminded me how cool it is to be Canadian! As I was sipping my Tim Hortons coffee, taking pictures with a giant beaver, smiling and greeting everyone that passed by, I could feel a strong sense of community where everyone acts like family and cares for everyone around. Everybody smiled back at me, everybody replied when I greeted them, everybody forgot about their differences and acted as one. I don’t think I stopped smiling for a second the whole day. Canadians are known as very nice people, but I saw it come out stronger than ever that day and it made me extra proud to be a Canadian.

I also attended West Fest which is a west-side community festival to raise money for the local schools. I sang a song and played guitar but I am not releasing any videos to keep my Miss Teenage Canada talent performance a surprise! It was very rainy and we had to close down early but it was great to see all of the kids in the morning.

Miss Teenage Canada is 50 days away from today! don’t forget to check out my daily posts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!

It is the greatest feeling in the world when you are told that you inspire somebody- I have been told by a handful of people in my life that I inspire them and it makes me cry whenever I hear it. This might not have as great of an impact on you, like it does on myself, but this is reason why I do what I do. I chose to join this experience and get a title to inspire people and make a difference with mental health, I chose my future career because it will let me inspire people and make a difference with mental health, I make every decision in my life based around that idea because I care so much about it.

Last week I put up a mental health bored in my school and it explains what bad mental health is, it explains more about 4 common mental disorders, it gives tips on how to help your mental health, how to help somebody else with bad mental health, and how to get better sleep, It tells you what resources we have in town to get help, it gives you numbers of different help lines, it gives you some statistics on how common it is to have mental health problems, and it gives you some inspiring quotes. I am very proud of it and could send you the information to put up in your school if you message me on any of my social media pages, but it is not everything I have done. Regarding my platform, mental health, I have spoken on Jess FM radio, wrote a speech that I presented at the Teddy Bear Parade, posted a bunch about mental health on all of my social media pages, put up my mental health board, and I have a bunch more planned.

Looking at all of the events I have made appearances with my title so far, I have been to 14 events, some including: Lethbridge Fashion Weekend, Badges United Hockey Game for Humboldt Broncos, Farmers Day, and Nature Playdate. My favorite part about going to events are getting to talk about mental health, and seeing the little kids get so excited with their big smiles! I love seeing people smile and laugh because it means they are happy, and I will do anything to make that happen.

There are 64 days until Miss Teenage Canada and I am so exited to meet the other girls, live the experience of the pageant, and put everything I have on stage to represent my country well and raise awareness on mental health!

Hello beautiful people! My name is Samantha and I am so proud to be named Miss Teenage Lethbridge 2018! I was awarded this title after getting second runner up at Miss Teenage Alberta in the middle of March and I am so excited to represent my city for the year. I decided to join this pageant for a few reasons; I am always looking for new opportunities to gain life experience, I knew this would teach me more about life, and it’s just been something that I’ve always wanted to be a part of. The biggest reason above all other reasons to do this pageant is the chance it will give me to make a difference with my platform and be a role model.

My platform is mental health and self worth, focusing on Female youth. I want to help girls that struggle with stress, anxiety, depression, bad self esteem, eating disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, and anything/ everything that is a part of bad mental health. I plan on making a difference in peoples lives by being a great role model for girls to look up to and follow, planning events to raise awareness, public speaking at events and youth groups (to inform them on how to help themselves, help others, and what resources they have to get help), Posting inspiring and informing posters around town, and posting inspiring and informing posts and videos online. Did you know that 20% of girls go though depression before adulthood and 78% of 17-year-olds are over all- unhappy with their bodies? That is just a couple numbers, I personally believe that it is my purpose in life to try and make at least a little bit of a difference, and for the rest of my life I will try and succeed.

So far with my title I have volunteered or made an appearance at 8 different events, done some public speaking, started planning 2 different projects to help with mental health in Lethbridge, and started posting regularly on social media. I have spoken about mental health on the Jess FM radio station and at the Teddy Bear Parade and plan to do a lot more through the year. The 2 projects I am planning are mental health kits and a short film to take to different schools and youth groups to educate people on how to help yourself, help others, and what resources we have in town to get help. I am really excited to have it all ready to show everyone so I will keep you posted on how the projects are going.

To know who I am, you have to know that my life revolves around everything to do with music. I love to sing, play guitar, play ukulele, dance, choreograph dance, study the music industry, try new things, and help people in any way I can. The biggest thing that sticks with people after meeting me is how hard working and ambitious I am. I grew up being the youngest of 3 kids so I had to work extra hard to try and live up to their level- who wants to be the worst at everything? I am happy that I was never as good as my older siblings because it taught me to keep working as hard as I can and never give up. Now I am a 17 year old workaholic that researches new opportunities, studies the music business, and practices during my rare breaks that I get. I have 2 jobs right now and have had 9 jobs in my life, but I can promise you that I will be in the music industry one day. After I graduate high school I plan to attend Nimbus School of Recording Arts, manage artists/bands, and in the further future, I would like to do some work as an A&R Coordinator, and a Music Promotor. Right now I am preparing for my future, having fun with my friends, and doing everything I can with my title that I hold for the year.

After several months of waiting and preparing, I finally arrived in Toronto in the afternoon of Sunday, July 17th! Upon arrival at the hotel, I was able to meet and mingle with all of the other girls for a couple hours before settling in with my roommate – Toni-Anne from Saskatchewan!

At 6:30 pm we rode the elevators all the way up to the 12th floor of the Airport Holiday Inn Hotel to attend the Sponsor Party!

The party was … describe the room. Pictures pictures pictures

NUVANGO

Another sponsor I was able to meet Sunday night as well as visit their headquarters was Nuvango! Nuvango specializes in imprinting drawings onto articles of clothing! The apparel is so unique and different from anything else I’ve ever seen before; and it’s so comfy! I know already I’m going to get so much use out of this crop – whether I’m lounging, working out, or roaming the city, my Nuvango wear is going to be my new go-to! Definitely recommend you check out their website –> https://ca.nuvango.com/

Hashtagio makes it easy for friends, families, and businesses to keep track of our Miss Teenage Canada experience by simply going onto social media and searching the tag #missteenageCanada2016. It’s awesome for us girls as it’s almost like a way to see all the amazing memories we’ve created throughout the week!

SWEETS CANADA

Sam Dhutia from Sweets Canada was another one of the sponsors the party Sunday night! My sweet tooth definitely loved this station as Sam was doing chocolate tastings of all his uniquely flavoured chocolates! I was a little skeptical about trying the dark chocolate bad with cranberry and lavender petals but to my surprise, the flavours were the absolute perfect combination! You can find the link to this specific bar if you’re looking for something to satisfy your chocolate cravings because let’s be honest – we all have them! Sam generously gave each delegate the gourmet chocolate bar of our choice to satisfy our sweet tooth throughout the week! So huge thank you to Sam and everyone at Sweets Canada for your generosity and sweets!

Sweets Canada is on Twitter @SweetsCanadaCA and so is their parent company Q Foods Canada which tweets from @QFoodsCanada

BRADLEE RYALL GOLF ACADEMY

Bradlee Ryall Golf Academy had a super fun booth set up where we were challenged to putt and achieve a hole in one.. unfortunately I wasn’t able to pull that off but don’t worry! On Wednesday, July 20th I’ll have the opportunity to travel to the golf academy to receive some much needed golf lessons and compete in a one-hole golf game! I’m looking forward to improving my golf game from professionals that teach golf lessons at six golf courses west of Toronto!

UPDATE: I definitely got to improve my skills on Wednesday when we visited Bradlee Ryall Golf Academy. I’m going to use my skills learned from #puttingwithMario to improve my mini golf game, and the final stretch of my golf game. I could say I’ve almost specialized in chipping when we were #chippingwithJon and have almost got the hang of starting my game off strong when we were #drivingwithIan!

I also had the pleasure of running into Darrly Sittler and Tiger Williams – two hockey hall of famers who were at the golf course supporting a fundraiser dedicated to the Down Syndrome Association.

ARCHER’S ARENA

Archer’s Arena was another one of the sponsors that attended the party we had on Sunday, July 17th. I was encouraged to bring out my inner Katniss playing around and posing with this bow and arrow! Had a blast when we visited Archery Tag in Toronto at Archers Arena on Thursday, July 21st! It was a battlefield during our #gameoffoam! Definitely a highlight!

BATA SHOE MUSEUM

We visited the Bata Shoe Museum on Tuesday, July 19 and it was so amazing! It sounds like the most pageant typical, girly thing to do but it was actually focused on the evolution of shoes throughout history between different cultures and religions. It was really cool learning about the different traditions and reasoning behind all the evolving fashion trends!

Fishd By EDO

Can’t wait to visit Fishd by EDO later in the week! Check them out!

instagram/twitter/facebook: @fishdbyedo

YOGEN FRUZ

Can’t wait to receive my $15 coupon to yogen fruz! Frozen yogurt is definitely one of my go to foods – it’s healthy😉 and there’s always so many different flavour/topping combinations to try that I could never get tired of it! If you’re looking for something sweet but healthy, be sure to visit your local yogen fruz, a Canadian born franchise now integrated over 1400 stores in 47 different countries! http://www.yogenfruz.com/

Storia PR Inc.

Can’t wait to meet Daphna and Karen Nussbaum from Storia PR in Toronto later in the week. From what I’ve heard, these ladies are responsible for amplifying the media updates we make throughout this week, assuring they reach the biggest audience possible!

As the Miss Teenage Canada National competition is quickly approaching, we have been given our second blog assignment: creating and designing a rollup banner! Sign Source Solutions will be donating the most eye-catching banner designed by one of the delegates to be displayed in the entrance of the Final Show on July 24th! Sign Source Solutions specializes in printing and creating business signs, event signs, as well as roll-up banners for easy travel and storage!

I decided to keep my banner simple incorporating only the most important components. The Miss Teenage Canada title represents the competition taking place, a crown because it’s a symbol in pageantry, and the quote “No better you than the you that you are”. I chose this quote because what I’ve learned throughout this experience is to have confidence in myself. I think nowadays we are so focused on looking a certain way, or envying the qualities other people have rather than appreciating our own. Everyone is created in their own way for a reason and need to embrace the qualities that make them unique! If you are searching for the definition of beautiful, look in the mirror! Be yourself, you’re extraordinary and absolutely beautiful just the way you are ❤️

Lethbridge, Alberta: The beautiful city I have the honour of representing. What makes it so special you may ask? Well if I’m gonna be honest here, if you live in Lethbridge, you may have come to find out that there’s not many tourist attractions that I can lead you toward. The high level bridge is quite remarkable being the largest railway structure in Canada and the largest of its type in the world – Not to mention it’s over 100 years old and is still frequently used!

But if you truly know anything about Lethbridge, you’d know that the sense of community it resonates is a greater appeal than any attraction could acquire. Throughout these past 5 months as Miss Teenage Lethbridge, I have met more people and built more relationships than I have in the past 5 years when I first started going to school there. How have I accomplished that? I began to get involved through volunteering. I have volunteered with countless organizations, at numerous special events, and every single experience has been unique to itself. I used to believe that Lethbridge was an ordinary, windy city that I couldn’t wait to expand my life beyond. Now, it’s incredibly easy for me to recognize how extraordinary Lethbridge is, and especially all the things that lie within it. My heart has been touched by so many people, and I have gained so much knowledge that I will cherish forever.

Lethbridge is the perfect city to expand my platform and my beliefs within. Because what I ultimately want to promote is the idea of empowering communities through volunteerism. Events would not happen without volunteers. Organizations and non-for-profits would not operate without volunteers. Something as simple as fun-runs or charity walks would not happen and go without confusion without the help and guidance of volunteers.

The amount of people that sacrifice their time for others never ceases to amaze me. I used to wonder how they did it. Just give their time freely without gaining anything in return; but then I realized: they are getting something in return – they are actually gaining so much more. And I’ll tell you how. I may not be having the best day, or maybe I had to get up a little bit earlier than I would have liked, but as soon as I am entered into the radiantly positive atmosphere of the volunteers and the joys of an event, my mood is instantly changed.

I hope you have to opportunity to travel to Lethbridge one day and experience the connection and dedication the 98, 828 residents of Lethbridge have to offer. If you currently reside in Lethbridge, I hope this inspired you to get involved and expand your horizons and relationships throughout the city. The opportunities are truly endless!

Hi! I'm Samantha, Miss Teenage Lethbridge 2018

Samantha is an ambitious and compassionate young woman with a passion for music and helping others. In her free time, Samantha likes to sing, dance, play a few instruments, dream of new goals, and plan how to make them happen. Some of her biggest goals in life are to be an artist manager in the country music business, have a future client, or herself perform at the Grand Ole Opry and the CMA Awards, but above everything else, she wants to make an impact on mental health in the world. Samantha believes that there is good in every situation, imperfection is perfection, and knows that she can make a difference with her efforts.